Depressed Bakers Sell Gray Cakes to Lighten a Serious Subject

Why would someone bake dozens of delicious treats and then frost them all in a depressing gray color? To raise awareness and funds for depression, of course. Emma Thomas is a PR specialist who happens to have depression. And she noticed that people have an especially hard time talking about depression. So she decided to make it fun. Crazy as it sounds, she decided to throw a bake sale called the Depressed Cake Shop. Every baked good would have to be gray.

Throw a challenge at a baker and they will work some spectacular creative magic. Depression may be a... well, depressing subject. But even depressed people have a sense of whimsy. The results of that first bake sale were so spectacular that other pop-up Depressed Cake bake sales have sprung up around the world. Emma set up a website that lets people create their own bake sales, and she helps out with the PR.

The idea, Thomas says, is to make talking about and dealing with depression a whole lot more accessible. "People can engage on a light level. It doesn't have to be heavy, and they don't have to go jogging. It enables people to support charity by just buying cake." Um, yeah. I'll buy cake to support a mental health charity!

But what is it like to eat a gray cupcake or cookie? If you're used to eating your feelings and choosing bright, peppy colors to counteract your mood, will gray have the same effect? I think if anything, the gray treats probably make people more aware of their feelings, but in a useful way. If you're surrounded by people in the pop-up shop who are committed to helping people like you, you're more likely to get the help you need. I think it's a delicious idea.